Snickerdoodles

Perfect for dipping in a warm cup of hot chocolate or sharing with the folks in the office, the snickerdoodle is a holiday staple. It’s basically a simple sugar cookie, made irresistible by rolling it in cinnamon sugar. And anything that ends in ‘doodle’ is just plain fun to say—with a name so whimsical and fanciful it lends itself to the holiday spirit.

If you want the cookies to have the crackled edges, be sure to chill the dough. If you prefer a smoother, flatter doodle they go straight into the oven, no refrigeration necessary. Bake for 10 minutes to ensure a crisp edge and a chewy center or 12 minutes for crispy through and through. I was a bit too reserved with the cinnamon and in hindsight recommend a heavy hand to ensure these cookies have just the right cinnamon kick to them. They should be positively enveloped. I like stacking a few in a cellophane bag with a simple ribbon to give as a gift. More holiday tastiness to come!

Snickerdoodles

Recipe from Vegan Yum Yum Makes about two dozen cookies • One hour to prepare, plus one hour to chill the dough

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Earth Balance

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 prepared Ener-g Egg-Replacer egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

cinnamon sugar, for rolling

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together sugar, Earth Balance, and vanilla. Prepare the Ener-G Egg per package instructions and add it to the sugar mixture. Mix until light and fluffy.

Whisk the dry ingredients together. Add 2/3 of the dry ingredients to the whipped mixture and mix until combined. Add in the remaining flour and mix by hand. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When the dough is almost chilled, preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Using a small ice cream scoop, make balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons of dough). Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar. Remember more cinnamon is better! Flatten the tops with your finger or the back side of a spoon.

Bake for 10 minutes for chewy cookies, 12 minutes for crunchy. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.